Seeing that Gu Chen was about to leave again, she finally couldn't hold back and came out.
"Auntie." Gu Chen saw the fear on Chen Lan's face, and his murderous aura immediately dissipated, revealing a kind smile.
"Qingqing... is Qingqing alright?" Chen Lan asked.
"It's alright." Gu Chen knew Chen Lan was worried about her daughter, and said, "Don't worry, I won't allow anything to happen to her."
"Leave the Su Family to me for now," Chen Lan said. "Although you have people keep an eye on Su Zhenbei and the others, the Su Family business can't be interrupted. I happen to know a thing or two about it, and Qingqing can help me too."
Gu Chen glanced at Chen Lan in surprise. He had just beaten Su Zhenbei and his son so badly, yet she hadn't reacted at all?
Chen Lan seemed to have guessed what Gu Chen was thinking. A flash of hatred appeared in her eyes as she said, "That beastly father and son almost killed my daughter. I wish they were dead!"
Chen Lan held virtually no status in the Su Family; otherwise, Su Qingqing wouldn't have worked so hard for her mother. Gu Chen thought about it and understood Chen Lan's actions, saying, "Alright, while Qingqing is unconscious, the Su Family is in your hands."
Gu Chen didn't care whether Chen Lan was good at business or not. Even if he couldn't handle the mess left by the Su Family, it wouldn't matter. Anyway, Su Zhenbei and his son were no longer capable of taking over.
"This is Su Qingqing's mother, well, you could call her my mother-in-law." Gu Chen called out Zhuge Kun and said, "During this time, you keep an eye on the Su Family father and son, and then assist Chen Lan. Also, here's a phone number for you. His name is Wen Ziqi. You can contact him anytime. Leave the mess in Zhou City to him. I think he should know what to do."
"And what about you?" Zhuge Kun asked. "Young Master Gu, what are you going to do?"
"Seclusion," Gu Chen said calmly. "It will last anywhere from ten days to a month."
"Alright!" Zhuge Kun's body trembled. He could hear the solemnity and seriousness in Gu Chen's voice. He knew that now they had offended the Qian Family again, and Gu Chen would have to go to the Shangjing to face the Gu Family. So now he had to prepare for all of this.
"Auntie, if Su Qingqing wakes up, please tell her," Gu Chen suddenly turned to Chen Lan and said, "She is my princess, and I will always cherish her."
Zhou City, on Mount Yuhua.
This is a remote mountain area on the outskirts of Zhou City, with dozens of mountain ranges stretching across it. Gu Chen had previously fled to this place when he was being chased by the people of the Wuji Manor.
It was during that escape that Gu Chen discovered a beautiful and lush place in this region.
Gu Chen had originally planned to rest for a few days before starting his cultivation, but now it seemed that time was of the essence and he had no choice but to cultivate. He needed to get to the Land of Heaven and Earth as soon as possible; otherwise, he would be unable to protect his lover and friends in the mortal world if he didn't deter those families.
Therefore, Gu Chen chose to start cultivating immediately.
"Still can't open it."
Deep within Mount Yuhua lies a vast lake. Beneath a waterfall several meters high, Gu Chen sits naked on a boulder, the surging waters crashing against his back, yet he seems completely oblivious.
A full moon had climbed into the sky, illuminating the entire deep mountain lake with a sense of loneliness and desolation. Amidst the rumbling water, Gu Chen's perfect body lines, propelled by the waterfall, exuded an unusual beauty.
The movement of the waterfall and the stillness of Gu Chen seemed to be a perfect match made by nature.
Gu Chen spent over half an hour choosing a place to begin his cultivation. Now, he finally made his decision, took out the enormous spirit stone he had obtained from Wang Gui, and placed it beside him.
Then, he took out the Eastern Sun Heaven-Suppressing Flag and placed it next to the spirit stone.
"Back then, my master's sect was destroyed, and my junior sister and I fled, nearly losing our lives. At that time, because my cultivation speed was slow, I faced countless perilous situations. However, because I lacked resources, I was like a stray dog." Gu Chen pondered, "But in this life, I possess the Emperor's Vein and countless experiences from my past life. Even on this degenerate Earth, relying on the ' Heaven and Earth Creation Art,' I can return to Heavenly Nether Star!"
With unwavering resolve, Gu Chen used the Eastern Sun Heaven-Suppressing Flag as a formation to set up a Spirit Gathering Array. The absorption of spiritual energy needed to be concentrated so that it could have a greater effect on the cultivator's absorption.
The Spirit Gathering Array is a method created by the pioneers of this cultivation method.
With such high-quality array flags and the spiritual energy of the massive spirit stones, the effect of the Spirit Gathering Array would be increased by at least 20% to 30%. After the Spirit Gathering Array was set up, Gu Chen sat in the array, leaning against the spirit stones, with a waterfall above his head, closed his eyes, and began to frantically absorb spiritual energy.
The unique light of the cultivation technique began to circulate within his body. The spiritual energy in the spirit stone gradually drifted out from the fluctuations of the formation, like threads, and entered through his Tianmen acupoint, where it was absorbed into his meridians.
If anyone outside witnessed this scene, they would surely exclaim in astonishment, for the effect of the Spirit Gathering Array was no longer limited to that spirit stone; the sparse spiritual energy surrounding the world had actually gathered into wisps, drifting in like mist and surging into the array's space!
The domineering nature of the Eastern Sun Heaven-Suppressing Flag is evident!
However, Gu Chen was already deep in meditation, completely unaware of his surroundings, focused solely on cultivating and transforming.
While Gu Chen was meditating, the mess in Zhou City was gradually being cleaned up.
In fact, after the Qian Family arrived, they had already discussed the steps of suppression and expansion with Su Zhenbei. After destroying the Black Wind Hall, they had already cast a huge net, just waiting for the time to close it down and integrate it.
Unexpectedly, Gu Chen's strong return dashed the Su Family's hopes, and everything in this web was once again under the control of Zhuge Kun Wen Ziqi.
With Zhuge Kun's ruthless methods, in just over three days, the powerful families of Zhou City, led by the Wen Family and Xiang Family, were once again divided into factions. The Zhao Family's Black Wind Hall, as the third largest force, officially replaced the Zhou Family, and Zhou City returned to peace.
Out of respect for Gu Chen, Wen Ziqi was even more shocked upon learning that Zhuge Kun was Gu Chen's confidant. As a martial artist himself, he could clearly feel the vast difference between himself and Zhuge Kun. Thinking about it, if even Zhuge Kun had to be so respectful and obedient to Gu Chen, just how powerful must Gu Chen be?
The Zhuge Family not only held sway over all directions in the Land of Heaven and Earth, but was also one of the major powers in the Shangjing. Upon learning this, Wen Ziqi immediately began to curry favor with Zhuge Kun.
However, Zhuge Kun was indifferent to Wen Ziqi. Given his status, if it weren't for Gu Chen, he wouldn't even look at a guy like Wen Ziqi, a nobody, and would only make the latter look foolish.
After five days of consolidation, Zhou City returned to calm. However, all the major families were watching closely, because the instigator of this incident was the Su Family, Su Zhenbei! Although the Su Family had now been taken over by Chen Lan, they still wanted to see how Gu Chen, the underground king of Zhou City, would deal with the Su Family, and whether he would let the matter rest because of Su Qingqing.
It was a very subtle emotion. Those who could become the helmsmen of such a large family were all cunning and shrewd individuals. Their observation was naturally for their own purposes, because Gu Chen's actions could determine many things in the future.
However, Gu Chen seemed to have vanished into thin air. On the very first day after his return, he used ruthless methods to eliminate the Qian Family's forces from the Shangjing and intimidate the Su Family. He disappeared without a trace, and the only one who appeared in everyone's sight was the even more domineering and ruthless Zhuge Kun.
On the third day after Gu Chen disappeared, Zhao Haiqing regained consciousness.
On the fifth day, Su Qingqing woke up...
Even at this point, they still hadn't seen Gu Chen.